Saturday, March 26, 2016

To celebrate the release of SMOKE AND FIRE and the season of Spring, there is also a DRAGON EGG HUNT going on throughout the tour! Exciting, right? Certain stops throughout the tour will have something special to share with you which will provide you with an extra entry for the giveaway. Just like a traditional egg hunt, you're going to have to search for these items/information!! Find out more information about the Dragon Egg Hunt at the bottom of the post!

Smoke and Fire (Dark Kings Series, #9)By Donna GrantBlurb:She wanted to touch him. There had always been something about being in his arms that made her feel as if she could tackle anything and the world wouldn’t dare get in her way…

SWORN TO PROTECT
A dragon shapeshifter and a computer mastermind, Ryder is sent to guard Glasgow after a devastating Dark attack. But when memories of an explosive affair come back to him-in the flesh-Ryder cannot help but want to protect the woman who haunts his dreams. Even if means shifting into the dragon he was never supposed to reveal…

DRIVEN TO DESIRE
Kinsey could never get enough of Ryder. His every touch only left her wanting more. But now that she’s seen him in his true form, Kinsey’s world is rocked to the core. She knows that to stay-and feel-alive, she must be with Ryder. But is Kinsey’s passion worth the risk of danger that comes with being a part of Ryder’s dark and fierce world?

Available for purchase at

Excerpt

SMOKE AND FIRE

Ryder sat back and blew out a breath, feeling a flutter of nerves. He laced his fingers behind his head and only realized then that Dmitri was still in the room. He slid his gaze to Dmitri.

“What are you up to?” Dmitri asked. “You know that lass. I could see it on your face. If you have Tristan bring her up here, you’ll feel Con’s wrath.”

Ryder dropped his hands to the arms of his chair. “That occurs all the time, and I do know Kinsey. I’m no’ yet sure why she’s here. But I aim to find out.”

“Meaning?” Dmitri urged.

“We were lovers three years ago. Until I realized that I’d fallen in love with her. I didna want anyone to know that our spell preventing us from feeling deeply for humans no longer worked with me.”

Dmitri leaned forward, his brow furrowed deeply. “That was around the time Hal fell in love with Cassie.”

“Cassie arrived at Dreagan right after I returned from Glasgow.”

“All right,” Dmitri said as he rubbed his jaw. “So you fell in love before Hal. No’ a big deal.”

Ryder lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I suppose no’. No’ compared to her seeing me in dragon form a few weeks ago when I was in Glasgow to protect the city from the Dark invasion.”

“Oh, fuck.”

Anger crackled through him every time he thought about how close Kinsey came to dying that night. If Ryder hadn’t been there, she would’ve been taken by the Dark, her soul drained. “There was a Dark after her. I shifted into human form to help her. Unfortunately, she saw it all.”

“And?” Dmitri pressed with a brown brow raised.

Ryder looked at the screens, following Kinsey from one to the other as Tristan walked her to the manor. “I’ve never seen anyone so terrified before.”

“Of the Dark?”

Ryder wished. That night still haunted him. No matter how many times he thought over what happened, there hadn’t been another way to save her. “Of me. I can still hear her scream before she ran away.”

“So she doesna know you’re here?”

“I doona believe so. She’d rather walk through the fires of Hell than be anywhere near me.”

Dmitri sat there for a moment before he gave a slow shake of his head. “You’re having Tristan bring her to you, are you no’?”

“I am.”

“That . . . could be a bad move.”

“It probably is.” In more ways than one.

The Dark Kings Series

Series Trailer

About the Author

Donna Grant is the New York Timesand USA Today bestselling author of the sizzling Dark King series featuring dragons, immortal Highlanders, and the Fae.

She was born and raised in Texas but loves to travel. Her adventures have taken her throughout the United States as well as to Jamaica, Mexico, and Scotland. Growing up on the Texas/Louisiana border, Donna’s Cajun side of the family taught her the “spicy” side of life while her Texas roots gave her two-steppin’ and bareback riding.

Despite deadlines and voracious reading, Donna still manages to keep up with her two children, four cats, and one long haired Chihuahua.

You can find Donna at

DRAGON EGG HUNT

We mentioned earlier in the post that there is a DRAGON EGG HUNT going on throughout the tour. There are 9 "Dragon Eggs" (i.e. Blog Tour Stops) throughout the blog tour. Each representing one of the books in the series! The fun part is that, like a regular egg hunt, you'll have to find these special stops and then FIND the "Dragon Egg". The "Dragon Egg" is actually information within the site. Yup, site. ;) You'll have to visit each tour host, each day to see if they have a Dragon Egg for you to find. The Rafflecopter widget will provide you with the hint. The hint will be a questions or it will ask you for specific information. The DRAGON EGG HUNT is a fun and interactive activity that will provide you, the reader with some insightful information about the series!

The war between Dosalyn and
Roanaan has ended, but a new battle begins for prisoner-of-war, Ottilde
Dominax. Dreams of her witchbreed twin sister are visions of death and
betrayal. Driven by their grim warning, she escapes her captors and races
across nations to save her sister.

But she may arrive too late…

The Witch

Oriabel Dominax has kept her
healing magic secret while she cares for her family's struggling estate. But
the arrival of a new lord with secrets of his own, the discovery of a dark and
addictive magic, and threats from a cruel blackmailer push Oriabel closer to
disaster.

Angry hisses and
mutters rippled through the assembly at the announcement of Ottilde’s number.

The guard at the
front of their formation watched with a bored expression as the other inmates
spat at her feet. “King Killer,” the woman next to her hissed. Ottilde
swallowed and her grip on the heartstone tightened. Chroy had not been a king
when she threw her knife into his throat, not yet. But he had been their
future, their hope.

Ottilde raised
one hand into the air. “Here.” The commotion died down after he called a few
more numbers and Ottilde let out her long-held breath. She loosened her fingers
from around the heartstone. They came away aching with the force of her hold.

When all the
prisoners were accounted for, several inmates broke formation to walk to the
dining house for breakfast. The guards, however, growled at them to remain in
line, shoving some of the slower ones back into place.

Ottilde frowned
at the change in routine, and peered around. Prison Chief Wilder Coomb strode
towards them on the other side of the wire fence that formed the front of the
yard, his adjutant close at his side. One of the guards unlocked the yard gate
and stood back as the Chief entered.

Wilder Coomb was
a formidable man. He might once have been handsome, but life had bullied him
viciously. His shaved head sported a deep, curling scar on one side of his
scalp, while his face and neck carried similar gruesome marks. One earlobe was
missing, which gave his head a cock-eyed appearance when viewed straight on. A
jagged horizontal line along his neck indicated someone had tried to cut his
throat at one time. But Ottilde believed the most impressive scar lay behind
the patch over his left eye. The silvery tail of the wound snaked down his
cheek and neck to disappear in the stiff collar of his forest green officer’s
coat.

Upon reaching
the front of the prisoner formations, he folded his hands behind his back and
swept a contemptuous eye over them. Ottilde could only imagine what he saw as
he stared at them, the ragged unlucky soldiers taken prisoner during the recent
Pleinour War. For a moment, Chief Coomb’s hard, dark eye settled on her and she
lifted her chin, refusing to show him how much he intimidated her. But his gaze
moved on, and she sensed the subtle shift of discomfort in the prisoners around
her when one of them felt the whip of his gaze

He held up a
sheaf of folded papers; a letter, judging by the regular creases.

“Queen Kuonrada
has fled and Deauxerr has vanquished her armies.”

The prisoners
shuffled and muttered. The cold air warmed with the force of their anger and
humiliation. Ottilde kept her eyes on Chief Coomb’s face, though she felt a
good portion of their collective rage focused on her. She knew she held blame
for breaking the back of Roanaan’s fighting spirit.

“Over the last
several weeks,” Coomb continued, “those with authority in such matters have
considered what to do with you all. I have a list of officers and knights to be
traded for Deauxerr soldiers now held by the remnant of Roanaan’s military as
an act of diplomatic faith. Step forward when I read your number. You will be
readied immediately for transport to the exchange point.” He snapped his
fingers and his adjutant took the letter from his hand, replacing it with a
single sheet of dark paper. Coomb scanned it and shouted out prisoner numbers.

Ottilde’s
breathing grew irregular with hope as each man or woman came forward in answer
to the prison chief’s summons. But he reached the last number on the list
without calling hers. Her stomach soured as she watched a contingent of guards
escort the fifty or so fortunate prisoners from the yard.

Once the yard
gate had shut again. Chief Coomb’s adjutant handed him another paper. “Now,
King Talin of Deauxerr has decided to offer those of you with reports of good
conduct and no criminal past the opportunity to swear fealty to the Deauxerr
crown. Talin has granted you permission to return to Roanaan or settle in
Deauxerr; also, you will be given a small subsidy to start your new life. If
you wish to accept this offer, step forward when I read your number.” He sounded
off another list of prisoners. Again, Ottilde listened tensely for her number,
though she knew how unlikely it was she would hear it this time.

Coomb must have
called a hundred numbers or more, but Ottilde estimated only forty prisoners
stepped forward. They averted their eyes from those who remained in the
formations. Another handful of guards led this group from the yard.

“As for the rest
of you,” Coomb said, “you are to be moved to a civilian prison facility where
you will no longer be my concern.” He folded his arms behind his back.
“Remember, as long as you remain in this camp, or in the custody of my staff,
you will obey Lachlas regulations. Everyone will appear for morning roll every
day. You all know what will happen should even one of your numbers go missing.”
He gave them a last menacing glare then stalked to the yard gate.

R. L. Martinez writes fantasy and
science fiction with dark edges and corners. She began writing when she was in
the seventh grade when her teacher assigned a creative writing project. She
lives in Norman, OK with her husband, two young sons, a mouse-killing cat, and
two naughty pooches.

Jake Wheeler doesn’t date. He has a one and done rule. Some would say he’s a player but he disagrees. He’s always upfront with a girl, letting her know he’s not interested in a relationship. That is until he meets Ivy.

A talented carpenter who can hold her own on a construction site, Ivy worked for Jake last summer. He asked her out but she turned him down. Now, months later, Jake is ready to try again. He can’t get this girl out of his head and he needs to figure out why. When he asks her out he assumes she’ll say no again, so he’s shocked when she actually says yes.

After the first date, Jake knows he’s in trouble. Ivy is actually someone he could see himself being with, for a lot longer than a night. But what Jake doesn’t know is that Ivy’s only going out with him to prove she’s not the girl for him. She’s dated his type before and doesn’t want to do it again. But is Jake really the player she thinks he is? And if not, is she willing to trust him with her heart?

Author’s Note: Give Us a Chance is a standalone and book two of The Wheeler Brothers, a series of standalone novels that each feature a different brother. Next to Me, featuring Jake’s older brother, Nash, is book one.

I haven’t even said a word to her and my heart’s already beating faster. I feel nervous, and I’m never nervous. Even when I was doing all those interviews on TV last fall, I never got nervous.
“Hey, Ivy,” I say, trying to sound cool and relaxed.
“No,” she says, keeping her head down as she picks up a piece of sandpaper.
“No what?”
“No, I’m not going out with you.”
Shit. How did she know that’s why I came over here?
“I didn’t ask,” I say.
“No, but you were about to.” She leans down more, lightly sanding the edge of the book in her picture, creating the look of pages. Damn, that’s incredible. I’m seriously amazed by her talent.
“I was just coming over to say hello,” I tell her. “We haven’t talked since the Victorian. How have you been?”
“Good.” She flips her ponytail to her other shoulder, exposing her neck. I’d love to run my lips down that neck. Down that smooth, perfect skin. My eyes shift down to her shirt, a black v-neck t-shirt that fits close to her body.
“Was that it?” She catches me staring at her breasts and stands up, looking annoyed with me. That’s just great. I’ve been here less than a minute and already screwed this up.
“Good? That’s all you have to say?”
She sets the sandpaper down and crosses her arms over her chest. “What do you want to know?”
“How was your Christmas?”
She’s staring at me like that’s the lamest question ever asked. Considering Christmas was weeks ago, it is a lame question, but it’s the first thing that popped in my head.
“Let me guess,” I say, since she hasn’t answered. “It was good.”
She starts to smile, but then quickly shuts it down. “Yeah.” She shrugs. “Actually, that’s a lie. It sucked. But it’s like that every year so…” Her voice trails off and when she sees the questioning look on my face, she explains, “My mom died at Christmas. It was years ago, but still.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” I rake my hand through my hair, which I tend to do when I’m nervous or uncomfortable.
“It’s okay. You didn’t know.” She smiles slightly, but then it disappears again. “Well, I need to get back to work.”
Why is she always telling me to get lost? I know she doesn’t have a boyfriend. I need to try this again, using a different approach. Nash and Callie are right. My usual techniques aren’t going to work this time.
“So do you like to eat?” I ask.
It’s such a strange question that she laughs a little. “Yeah. Why?”
“Let’s go out tonight. It’s on me.”
“I told you I’m not going out with you.”
“It’s not a date. It’s just two people eating dinner. You said you like to eat, right?”
“And if I were to say yes, which I’m not, where would you take me?”
I pause to think. “A little place just down the street from here.”
“Titiana’s? The Mexican place?”
“No.”
“Marco’s Italian?”
I shake my head. “No. This place serves American food.”
“Just tell me.”
“It’s a little place called…” I pause for dramatic effect. “Burger King.”
She bursts out laughing, which is what I was hoping for. I wanted to hear her laugh. I like her laugh. “Burger King? That’s where you’d take a girl on a date?”
“It’s not a date, remember? And what’s wrong with Burger King? Flame-broiled burgers. And you get to have it your way. Extra pickles. No mustard. Whatever you want.”
She laughs again. I’ve decided this is my approach with her. Humor. And saying the unexpected. It seems to be working.
“I can’t go there,” she says. “I’m vegan.”
“Really? I didn’t know that. So we’ll go somewhere else. Where do vegans eat?”
“I’m not going out with you, Jake.”
“Is it because of the jacket?” I glance down at it. “Because I have other jackets if this one offends you.”
She gives me a funny look like she doesn’t know what I mean.
“It’s leather,” I say. “I assumed if you’re vegan you don’t like leather?”
“Oh, um, yeah.” She nods. “That’s right. No leather.”
I smile. “So I’ll switch coats and meet you there at six.”
“Sorry, but it’s not happening.” She turns back to her project.
I’ll have to try again later. At least I’m getting somewhere with her. I got her to laugh, so that was a start.

Author Bio:
Allie Everhart is a hopeless romantic who writes books about love. Allie has authored fifteen novels, including The Jade Series, a college romance that follows the story of Jade and Garret as they deal with numerous obstacles trying to tear them apart. Her other series, The Kensingtons, is a romantic suspense series. Her standalone romance novels include Next to Me, and her latest book, Give Us a Chance.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Calista Blackstone has no problem playing her position as the supportive, dutiful wife of Barringer Blackstone. All she wants is a family, but after five years, she's given up hope of actually becoming a mother - at least to Barringer's children.

Barringer (Barry) Blackstone is too busy making money to make babies. CEO of Blackstone Financial Services Group, he's actively working on taking his father's company to the next level and avoids the subject of children. He's no longer certain that he wants the added stress of trying to raise a family while growing the business. But the workaholic will learn the hard way that money should never precede family.

Calista Blackstone scanned the
interior of her bedroom one last time before zipping up the large, black
suitcase that rested on top of their king bed – a suitcase she had packed full
of her clothes. Not all of her
clothes. Just enough. The essentials. Two weeks’ worth for now. She would have
to get the rest later.

Blinking back tears while
feeling pressure build in her throat, she forced away memories of all the times
she and Barringer had made love in this bed, although she couldn’t recall a
recent instance. Then again, there was that one time a few months ago, but
there was nothing memorable about that occasion. Nothing to brag about to her
girlfriends if she was into that sort of thing. (She wasn’t). The intimacy, if
you can call it intimacy, was cold,
to-the-minute quick, sorely lacking and wham-bamish, followed by Barringer snoring loudly shortly thereafter. There
was no cuddling. No, I love you. No good night kiss. No nothing. And she lay
awake, yet again, staring at ceiling, wondering how they got to this point
while listening to him snore like a bear in hibernation.

That memory alone was enough to
push her to the door, but she drifted in thought again, forcing herself to
remember some of the good times. Like when they would stay in bed all day,
order takeout and go right back to bed. Or when they’d share popcorn and watch
movies together in that bed. Or when
she would lie against his chest while they watched football or the ten o’clock
news. And what about the cool evenings when he would hold her. When he’d run
his fingers through her hair while they talked about their days. When
lovemaking was more than,
let’s-hurry-up-and-get-this-over-with-so-I-can-go-to-sleep, but actually meant
something. The memories remained, but those days of marital bliss were long
gone. The shipped had sailed. The train had officially left the station.

Still, it was a struggle to go.
It was easy to threaten to leave your spouse, but when it came down to it, when
actions were supposed to speak louder than words, sometimes the action didn’t
speak up loud enough. Calista wanted to change that. And she did.

This was the fifth time she
packed a suitcase this year. Fifth. Would the fifth time be the charm? Not
necessarily. There was nothing pleasant about leaving her husband. It’s not
like she wanted to leave Barringer, but he wasn’t giving her much of a choice
these days.

She could admit that the first
time she had threatened to leave, it was just that – a threat. She hoped it
would be a wake-up call for him that she wasn’t happy. It worked, for a few
weeks. Barringer would come home at a decent hour, try to watch a movie with
her or do something she enjoyed like going for a walk, but she could tell he
had everything else on his mind besides being with her. His body was there. His
mind was some place else.

The second, third and fourth
attempts at leaving were legit, and they all came within weeks of each other.
Calista was pumped up and ready each time. She’d tried to build up enough courage
to leave, but failed, going through the emotions of leaving. It was one thing
to huff and puff and say what you were going to do. It was another actually
following through with it. Could she follow through with it this time? Could
she live her own life apart from Barringer? Was she not doing that already?

Back to the present attempt to
leave – attempt number five…

This time would be different.
Unlike those other failed attempts, she made preparations for this one. While
Barringer was busy devoting his time, his life, to making deals and nursing
important business relationships at Blackstone Financial Services Group,
working well into the night every day of the week, she was at home planning.
Strategizing. She’d gone on two job interviews (both jobs looked promising) and
she went apartment shopping, finding a one-bedroom place near Kalina and
Bryson’s home. She already paid the rent for the first month as well as the
security deposit. The place was hers. Last week, she bought a new cell phone
and attached service to it, no longer desiring to be connected to their family
plan. Family plan…what a joke. She
even visited some car lots. She didn’t know how Barringer would react when he
found out she was really leaving this time, so she took preemptive measures to
check out a few vehicles in case he flipped out and decided to take the Lexus
away from her. He very well could have. After all, the car was in his name.
Registered to him. He paid for it, like he paid for everything else. It’s the
way he wanted it.

Barringer was one of those ol’
school men, not in a gentlemanlike way, but in a rigid orderly way. His belief
was that a man was supposed to be the breadwinner of the family. The provider.
Didn’t matter that Calista had a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration
and was an intelligent woman with a bright future in her career field. Before
they married, he and Calista had come to an agreement – that instead of her
pursuing a career, she would be a homemaker, the mother to their children. The
dutiful wife who managed the household, cooked, cleaned, made sure bills were
paid on time and any other ‘menial tasks’ (his words) he deemed out of scope
for a husband. Calista agreed to forego her career to do just that. Why
wouldn’t she? She was happy. In love. Married to the man of her dreams. She’d
snagged the Barringer Blackstone.

A manly man, he was a little
rough around the edges, but still together enough to work in corporate. He was
solidly built – iron muscles, tight abs, a killer smile and tall stature. He kept
his black hair cut to a shadow as well as the mustache above a set of
eye-catching, irresistible lips. And the man could rock a suit like nobody’s
business. He dressed nice during work and play, although nowadays, she rarely
saw him in play clothes. He was
strictly business. Owned more suits than she had dresses. Twenty-four hours a
day, seven days a week, Barringer was a business man. A provider, like he said
he’d be. But nearly six years later, Calista wasn’t the woman she wanted to be.

She wanted to be a mother, but
they didn’t have any children. She wanted to be a wife, but to who? Their
grand, four-thousand-square-feet home? She certainly wasn’t a wife to
Barringer, her absentee husband. How could she be a wife to a man who was never
there? It was like baking an apple pie with no apples. Sure, you could still
bake it, but could you really call it an apple pie if you put no apples in it?

She sighed. What did she have
to show for herself after six years of marriage? Not a thing. She had herself,
hurt feelings and regret of putting faith in a man who didn’t hold up his end
of the bargain. Well, enough was enough.

She looked around again,
thinking about how her new apartment was about the same size as their master
bedroom. Leaving Barringer was a downgrade in her lifestyle, but that was okay.
She’d survive. Funny how material things meant absolutely nothing when you had
no one to share them with. When you were lonely. Depressed. Sick and tired of
being taken for granted. The apartment was looking better and better.

She sat on the bed when her
stomach began aching – her nerves getting the best of her. She hid her face
behind her hands and blew a breath. If she could only force herself to stop
thinking about it so much, she’d be gone already. Instead, she began wondering
what people would think. If she actually went through with attempt number five
and left Barringer, what would her parents think? His parents? Neighbors?
Friends they had in common. What would happen to her relationships with her
sisters-in-law, who were also her best girlfriends – Vivienne, Kalina, June and
Candice? What would they say if she actually left Barringer this time?

Calista pushed out a breath.
Attempt five was hard, but it had to be done. Why should she be concerned about
what people thought, anyway? They didn’t have to live her miserable life. They
didn’t know the pain and loneliness she felt every day. The resentment that
churned deep within her soul from the lies she’d been hanging on to from the
man who was supposed to love her. Leaving Barringer, her husband of six years
was the hardest thing she ever had to do, but she couldn’t continue on like
this – miserable and unhappy – while watching everyone around her live
blissfully and in love. Her brother-in-law, Bryson, had recently married
Kalina, so they were all over each other, lovey-dovey, still in the honeymoon
phase. She was happy for them, but jealous at the same time. She wanted that
serendipitous feeling of being in love again. Vivienne and Garrison were days
away from welcoming their first child. She wanted a child, too.

She thought about how they’d
often feign happiness in public but the fake smiles and phony public displays
of affection wasn’t enough glue to hold their situation together behind closed
doors, at least as far as Calista was concerned. Barringer seemed to go with
the flow, expend all of his time and energy in his work and pretend nothing was
wrong.

She used to be the queen of
pretending, but even that had worn off. She pinched tears from the corner of
her eyes. Her vows meant something to her, but obviously they didn’t mean a
thing to Barringer. His loyalty was aligned with protecting the interest and
affairs of his father’s precious company – the company where he spent most of
his days, Blackstone Financial Services Group. Everything else had to take a
backseat. Even her.

Calista
sniffled. She’d rode in the backseat for four of the six years they’d been
married. It was time for a change – time to upgrade to the driver’s seat –
beginning now.

Author info:

Tina Martin is the Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Author of over thirty women's fiction and romantic suspense novels and novellas. Her books include, The Accidental Series, The Alexander Series, The Dying To Love Her Series, The Champion Brothers Series, The Blackstone Family Series, The Mine By Default Mini-Series, Secrets On Lake Drive, Can't Just Be His Friend, All Falls Down, Just Like New to the Next Man, Might As Well Be Single, Falling Again, The Crush and Vacation Interrupted.

She released her newest novel, Leaving Barringer, on January 4, 2016 and a novella, Who Do You Love?, on December 12, 2015. She is currently working on Book 4 of The Champion Brothers Series titled, Wives and Champions.

When she’s not writing, Tina enjoys reading, traveling, blogging and spending time with her family. Visit her online at www.tinamartin.net where you will find a full listing of her novels, upcoming works and contact information.

How could one wild quickie with a hot guy against a wall at a party change everything so fast?

All Rae wanted was to open a clinic for autistic kids. To do a little good in this world. To help some kids who were trapped in darkness and fear.

But a statistics class tripped her up. She is losing her scholarship, which means that she’s leaving college to go back to her poverty-stricken hometown. It’s too late for grants. Too late for loans. No job exists that can pay for college tuition. She’s finished, and she has to go back to her family and their repressive beliefs that she thought she was better than she ought to be for trying to go to college, anyway.

She has three weeks of freedom left. Her friends tell her that there is a job that could help her, the place where they work, where she might be able to make enough cash for tuition because they do.

So they take her to an upscale party to meet the guy who runs it, and they tell her all about their boss: his cold, calculating gaze, how he can see through anyone, how no one even knows his real name, and how he might be a psychopath.

But Rae doesn’t meet their mysterious boss. She meets The Blond Hottie who tells her that his name is Wulf. He’s even taller than Rae, probably six feet-four, with a strong jaw and dark sapphire blue eyes, and an athlete’s build.

If you had three weeks of college freedom left before you went home to your fundamentalist family, what would you do?

Rae shoves The Blond Hottie up against a wall in dark bedroom, and then all Hell does break loose.

This Complete Boxed Set of Billionaires in Disguise: Rae contains all nine original episodes.

The Blond Hottie’s hand dropped down to the small of Rae’s back and pressed, tilting her pelvis in toward his. She let him.
She let him. She was just letting things happen again. Just like falling into her major and flunking out of school, she was drifting instead of making decisions.
Being seduced was letting things happen to her, not doing things.
The Blond Hottie nodded toward the couple, who were leaning on the wall, spent. He whispered, “Would you ever do something like that?”
Rae was going back to dust-choked Pirtleville in three and half weeks.
Three and half stupid weeks.
Screwing The Blond Hottie against a wall would be doing something.
“Yeah,” she said, “but not out here.” She had seen couples slip through a door and then emerge later, disheveled, but hadn’t really made the connection. “Back there.”
The Blond Hottie smiled again, and this time, the toothiness verged on wolfiness. “You want to be against a wall?”
“No.” Rae tossed her head and looked straight into his deep blue, hungry eyes. “You’re going to be the one against the wall.”

Author Bio:
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Blair Babylon is the nom de plume of an award-winning, USA Today-bestselling author who used to publish literary fiction. Because professional reviews of her other fiction usually included the caveat that there was too much deviant sex and too much interesting plot, she decided to abandon all literary pretensions, let her freak flag fly, and write hot, sexy, erotic romance, plus wild, suspenseful thrillers, science fiction, and urban fantasy using the super-secret pen name Blair C. Babylon.

When arch villain Momo threatens
to destroy the world with The Big Zapper—a weapon of mass destruction the likes
of which has never been seen before—it’s up to Alexa Manchester and her new
electricity-harnessing superpowers to stop him.

With a little help from her sexy
chauffeur, Sigfred Sawyer, and some exciting encounters with the mysterious and
handsome Blue Arrow, soon Alexa’s love life is charged up, too. And to defeat
the seemingly invincible Momo, it might just take the naturally super power of
love to save the day.

Offering all the Kabam! Pow! Zap!
of beloved comic book sagas with the beating heart of a love story, this
over-the-top, genre-blending send-up is sure to delight superhero fans and
romance readers alike.

Readers of both comic book sagas and
romance novels will find the sparks that fly between Alexa and Sigfred very
electrifying indeed.

~
Colleen Sargent Library Journal

Excerpt
from Chapter 6

Sigfred couldn’t
be sure whether the mayor’s proposal pleased or displeased her, but it wasn’t
his place to ask. He could do one thing—help her get that blasted ring off her
finger. He went to the pantry and retrieved a bottle of olive oil—cold pressed
extra virgin, of course, because this was Yurdlemon’s kitchen.

“Let me help you
get that off,” he said.

“No, I’ll do it
myself.” She paused suddenly, staring at the big green stone as if transfixed.
“Maybe I’m not sure I want it off.” She shook her head. “But I do, I do. Oh, I
don’t know what I want.” She sighed. “Wait! Yes, I do. I want to talk about
last night.”

“Of course, if
you wish.” He waited for her to speak, but she seemed stumped.

Then she said,
“What did you think about last night?”

He cleared his
throat and said, “Yes, right. It was quite—”

“Sigfred!” She
slapped her hands down on the sink and looked back at him. “It was nothing like
quite, it was more like Oh-My-God in the highest order. No offense.”

“Yes, quite.”

“Don’t keep
saying quite! You could say yes, shocking or even jiminy crickets or holy
‘expletive omitted,’ but there was nothing quite about last night. I mean you
were there, you saw everything.”

He couldn’t
think of an appropriate response—at least, not one that he could articulate to
his employer.

“Am I right, you
did see everything?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said.
“It was unintentional, of course, Ms. Manchester. I found you lying on the
floor next to The Magpie.”

“It’s
ridiculous. Absurd. People don’t emit electricity. Gladys says I should see a
doctor. That I must have been exposed to the Electromite. Am I cursed?”

“It doesn’t seem
to be life-threatening. On the contrary, you’ve become stronger by it, or so it
seems. If I’m not mistaken, you saved the child from drowning because of it.
Perhaps it’s not a curse, but a gift.”

She seemed to
consider this, absentmindedly pulling at the mayor’s ring.

“Just a moment,”
he said. “I think I can assist you with that little problem you’re having.” He
opened the bottle of olive oil and drizzled some over her ring finger. Then,
very gently, he began working the ring back and forth. He thrilled when he
touched her, but she didn’t seem to react.

“I can fly, you
know,” she said, her tone surprisingly casual.

“Yes, madame. I
suspected that’s how you saved the boy.”

“What happens if
I try to fly, and then these magical abilities suddenly vanish?”

“Perhaps they
won’t ever vanish.”

“Yes, perhaps you’re
right,” she said in a quiet, serious voice. “And that would mean I haven’t been
infected at all. Instead, I’ve been inalterably changed. It would mean that
there’s no cure. It means my body and spirit have been transformed into
something ... alien. It means I’m not Alexa anymore.”

“You’ll always
be Alexa,” he said, reaching up and tipping her chin toward him with slippery
fingers. His eyes locked on hers, and he spoke with hushed solemnity. “Nothing
can ever change that.” He wanted to call her lovely Alexa, kind Alexa,
beautiful Alexa, but of course, that was impossible.

“When I was
inside The Magpie, I heard my father’s voice. Is that crazy?”

“Not at all, Ms.
Manchester.”

She studied his
face. “You don’t think I’m crazy?”

“Not at all.”
And he meant it. Things went silent as they looked into each other’s eyes.
Sigfred had just swayed imperceptibly closer to her when a sudden dull thunk
interrupted them. The ring had finally fallen off, clattering into the sink.
The moment was lost. He realized, with some awkwardness, that he was still
touching her face and dropped his hand.

She colored and
looked away, speaking a bit brusquely. “My father called me Electromancer. I
get the ‘electro’ part of it, but what’s a ‘mancer’? Have you any clue?”

“You’ve got me there,
madame.”

“Mancer? It must
mean something.”

“Almost like
Romancer.”

Her jaw dropped.
“Oh, Sigfred. Not you, too.”

He stiffened. He
wasn’t about to explore his feelings with her or to take the liberty of
allowing his romantic thoughts about Alexa to go unrestrained. It was his
utmost duty to remain her servant and protector, always physically near but
emotionally distant. But when she’d transformed into this Electromancer, he had
to admit to himself that she was absolutely and without a doubt the sexiest
woman alive. Any red-blooded male would be hard pressed to deny that fact.

“What are you
going to do about the mayor’s proposal?” he blurted out. So much for knowing
his place. “He’s not worthy of you.”

“Bobby
Baumgartner is the mayor of Kensington City. He might be prime minister one
day.”

Her words stung,
the pain more intense than the damage those thugs had inflicted the previous
night. “Quite right, madame,” he said. “My station is lowly. But I’m one thing
the mayor isn’t. I’m a man of integrity.”

“I saw the way
you looked at me last night. I may have been Electromancer, but I know when a
man is gawking at me.”

“I wasn’t
gawking. I was appreciating the qualities of ... You’re a beautiful woman,
madame.”

“You mean,
Electromancer is beautiful.”

“No, madame. I
mean you. Alexa Manchester.”

She looked at
him in surprise.

“What’s the
meaning of this?” Chef Yurdlemon bellowed from across the room. “Who is
invading my kitchen? You are trespassers.” He pointed at Sigfred. “Especially
you, Sigfred Sawyer.”

Sigfred nodded
slowly. He was trespassing, though not in the way Yurdlemon meant.

“This mess with
the olive oil is all my fault,” Alexa said. “I was using it to try to get this
ring off. It was stuck on my finger. Sigfred was just trying to help me.”

“You used my
cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil to remove a ring?” Yurdlemon cried. “Such
olive oil is not for ring removal. Such olive oil is to make a divine dinner as
only I can make it. The olives for that oil come from a small orchard in Sicily
that produces only two hundred cases a year! Do you know what that costs? More
than a Chateau Latour Bordeaux. More than a fine Sauternes. I need it for my
dinner preparations. Oh, everything is ruined now. Each and every minute of
preparation is accounted for. There won’t be time enough left in the day, not
now. Not when I’m forced to return to the market, where I can only get inferior
olive oil.” Chef Yurdlemon grabbed the sides of his head and looked as if he
were about to sob. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

Daco is an award-winning author
of the espionage-thriller series featuring CIA operative Jordan Jakes. Her
debut novel, The Libra Affair, was a 2013 #1 best seller. Of The Libra Affair,
Publishers Weekly said, “The keenly sharp intelligent female characters soar in
this edge-of-your-seat adventure...”

Her short story The Pisces Affair
was a 2015 Global Ebook Awards double gold medalist (Best Thriller Fiction and
Best Science Fiction), a 2015 Shelf Unbound Notable 100, a 2015 Royal Palm
Literary Award winner, and a Publishers Weekly “PW Pick”.” In its review of The
Pisces Affair, Publishers Weekly wrote, “Jakes is a lively and witty narrator
with the wits and skills of James Bond, and readers will savor her fresh
perspective on being a woman in the male-dominated spy world.”

Her story The Virgo Affair is
part of Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded (Diversion Press, October 2015), an
anthology, including numerous best-selling authors.

Upcoming works include The
Scorpio Affair, a Jordan Jakes novel, and The Ophiuchus Affair, another Jordan
Jakes short story.

Daco holds a B.A. and M.A.S. from
The University of Alabama in Huntsville and a J.D. from the Cumberland School
of Law. She is a member of the International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers
of America, Romance Writers of America, Authors Guild, Alabama Writers Forum,
Florida Writers, and Alabama State Bar.